WSYX

:For other ABC channels that are also number channel 6 see ABC 6.Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WSYX
city =
station_
station_slogan = On Your Side
Your Weather Authority
station_branding = ABC 6
analog = 6 (VHF)
digital = 13 (VHF)
other_chs =
subchannels = (see article)
affiliations = ABC (secondary, from 1953-1955)
network =
founded =
airdate = August 30, 1949
location = Columbus, Ohio
callsign_meaning = SYX sounds like six, station's channel number
former_callsigns = WTVN-TV (1949-1987)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Sinclair Broadcast Group
licensee = WSYX Licensee, Inc.
sister_stations = WTTE
former_affiliations = DuMont (1949-1955) [http://members.aol.com/jeff99500/1952tv.html]
effective_radiated_power = 100 kW (analog)
59 kW (digital)
HAAT = 286 m (both)
class =
facility_id = 56549
coordinates = coord|39|56|14|N|83|1|17|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.wsyx6.com/ www.wsyx6.com]

WSYX, channel 6, is the ABC television affiliate in Columbus, Ohio. WSYX is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group and is the sister station to Fox affiliate WTTE (channel 28). The two stations share a studio in suburban Grandview Heights, which shares a post office with Columbus. WSYX carries a secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV on its second digital subchannel.

WSYX's audio signal can be heard on 87.75 MHz in much of central Ohio. The audio component of television channel 6 is located on the same frequency as 87.7 FM. WSYX emphasizes the fact that many FM radios can also receive the station when a television set is not nearby.

History

The station began operations on August 30, 1949 as WTVN-TV, Columbus' second television station. The station was owned by Picture Waves, Inc., controlled by Toledo attorney and investor Edward Lamb, and was a sister station to WTVN radio (610 AM). In February 1953, Picture Waves sold the WTVN stations to Taft Broadcasting based in Cincinnati, later Taft Television and Radio. Taft later purchased an FM station in Columbus, WLWF (96.3 MHz.), from the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation in 1959, renaming the FM station WTVN-FM (it is now WLVQ).

WTVN-TV was an affiliate of the DuMont Television Network at its inception, and was one of only three primary affiliates of that network. In 1953, it took on a secondary affiliation with ABC. Channel 6 became an exclusive ABC station when DuMont closed down operations in 1955. In the early 1970s, Taft's common ownership of WTVN-TV and WKRC-TV in Cincinnati was awarded "grandfather status" by the Federal Communications Commission which, under its newly-enacted "one-to-a-market" rule, prohibited television stations with overlapping signals to share common ownership while protecting existing instances. (One of channel 6's competitors, Crosley/Avco-owned WLWC [channel 4, now WCMH-TV] , was also given grandfathered protection through a similar situation.). Also at that time, WTVN and WKRC replaced Dayton's WLWD (now WDTN) as secondary ABC affiliates in the Dayton-Springfield television market (as both stations had city and/or Grade B signals in the market). This status ended when WDTN became a full ABC affiliate in 1980.

In 1987 Taft Broadcasting underwent a corporate restructuring, which saw Cincinnati financier Carl Lindner acquire a majority of Taft's shares, renaming the company Great American Broadcasting. However, as the FCC considered the restructuring as an ownership change, WTVN-TV lost its grandfathered protection and could not be retained by Great American. Ironically, Great American was allowed to keep WTVN-AM and WLVQ-FM, but these stations, along with Great American's Cincinnati radio stations, were sold to the same owners at the same time. A group of former Taft Broadcasting shareholders, led by the Bass brothers, purchased WTVN-TV for their new company, called Anchor Media. The sale closed on August 31, 1987; and the new owners renamed the station WSYX. WTVN and WLVQ-FM remained owned by Great American Broadcasting for the next several years.

Anchor Media, which also purchased fellow ABC affiliates WLOS in Asheville, North Carolina (in April 1987) and KOVR in Stockton, California (in January 1989), was purchased by River City Broadcasting in 1993. River City was merged into the Sinclair Broadcast Group in 1996. Sinclair owned Columbus' Fox affiliate, WTTE, but could not keep both stations since the FCC did not allow common ownership of two stations in a single market. Sinclair kept the longer-established WSYX and sold WTTE to Glencairn, Ltd., owned by former Sinclair executive Edwin Edwards. However, the Smith family (Sinclair's founding owners) controlled nearly all of Glencairn's stock. In effect, Sinclair now had a duopoly in Columbus in violation of FCC rules. Sinclair and Glenciarn further circumvented the rules by merging WTTE's operations with those of WSYX under a local marketing agreement, with WSYX as the senior partner.

In 2001, after the FCC allowed duopolies, Sinclair tried to acquire Glencairn outright. However, the FCC would not allow Sinclair to repurchase WTTE for two major reasons. First, the FCC does not allow duopolies between two of the four highest-rated stations in a single market. Also, the Columbus market has only seven full-power stations -- too few to legally permit a duopoly. Glencairn was renamed Cunningham Broadcasting, but is still effectively owned by Sinclair because nearly all of its stock is owned by trusts controlled by the Smith family. This situation is one of many that has led to allegations that Cunningham is simply a shell corporation used by Sinclair to circumvent FCC ownership rules.

In August 2006, WSYX launched a digital subchannel to carry programming from My Network TV, a new programming service from News Corporation, the parent company of Fox. The digital subchannel is known as My TV Columbus.

Digital television

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Analog-to-digital conversion

After the analog television shutdown scheduled for February 17, 2009 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] , WSYX-DT will remain on channel 13 [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101234170&formid=387&fac_num=56549 CDBS Print ] ] using PSIP to display WSYX's virtual channel as 6 on digital television receivers.

WSYX's audio signal will no longer be available on 87.75 FM after the digital transition is complete.

News Operation

Channel 6 was generally in last place in the local news ratings, except for two periods when the station was intensely competitive -- from 1977 to 1983 (when ABC was either the number one or a close number two network), and from 1987 to 1992. During the 1977-83 era, channel 6 often passed WCMH for second place behind long-dominant WBNS-TV, and during 1987-1992, channel 6 and WBNS traded second place ratings. Over the years, the station has featured high profile Columbus anchors including Tom Ryan (who moved from WBNS to WTVN in 1979),Robinson, Ralph (Reporter), Tom Ryan (News caster) and Gayd Hogan (News caster) "Unknown Episode." Action 6 News. Unknow Network. Station call sign: WSYX, Originally aired from Unknown City. Unknow date of publication. Filmed in Groveport. Length: 1 Minute 45 seconds. Republished by [http://www.whois.net/whois_new.cgi?d=befreetech&tld=com Annaheim, Kurt W.] " [http://befreetech.com/media.htm Media Page - See, Hear and Discover Free Electricity] ." Last updated [http://who.godaddy.com/WhoIs.aspx?domain=befreetech.com&prog_id=godaddy 7 May 2008] . Befreetech.Com. Accessed 23 June 2008. (Note: 4.5 Mb Windows Media Video File. Direct link: ) :Annotation: This is a NEWS broadcast video which consists of coverage of Stan Meyer's invention on "Action 6 News". The stations call letters are based on the fact that "Tom Ryan" is listed within the Wikipedia article WSYX. The reliability and verifiability of the original source should still however be checked. The name of the republisher was found via a WHOIS search at WHOIS.net. Accordingly, the website's last update was found via a [http://who.godaddy.com/WhoIs.aspx?domain=befreetech.com&prog_id=godaddy GoDaddy.com's WHOIS search] . befreetech.com appears to be a commercial website which, in this case, may not meet wikipedia's standards for reliable information. This website is not "authoratative". The video confirms Mr. Tom Ryan's presence.] Pat Lalama, I.J. Hudson, Lou Forrest (known as Louis de la Foret on CNN Headline News), and Deborah Countiss. Liz Claman, now an anchor on CNBC, and Carol Costello, now an anchor on CNN, were also one time reporters on WSYX. The station became competitive again in the late 1990s, and, in the past several years, has waged a fierce battle with WCMH for the runner-up position behind WBNS-TV.

Currently, WSYX's news programs are called "ABC 6 On Your Side" while programming on WTTE is branded "FOX 28 News at 10" and "Good Day Columbus." The news operation produces five hours of news each weekeday on channel 6 and three hours of news on channel 28. The stations place a prime focus on their weather operation, which uses the full suite of Weather Central technology, by placing the forecast near the beginning of each newscast and by providing weather updates every ten minutes during morning newscasts. WSYX and WTTE did not participate in the wider implementation of Sinclair's now-defunct "News Central" format for its newscasts, but did air "The Point", a one-minute political commentary that was a requirement of all Sinclair-owned stations with newscasts until the series was discontinued in December 2006.

WSYX launched its newscasts in High Definition on May 10, 2008, making WSYX the third Columbus station to have all major news operations producing news in high definition.In addition, this was the second Sinclair-owned station to launch local newscasts in High Definition.

Newscast Titles

WSYX's newscasts have been known by the following names:

Action 6 News (1977-1987)

Channel 6 News (1987-1992)

6 On Your Side News (1992-1995)

6 News (1995-1999)

NewsCenter on ABC 6 (1999-2006)

ABC 6 NewsCenter (2006-2007)

ABC 6 On Your Side (2007-Present)

Current Personalities

;Anchors
* Sean Cuellar - weekends
* Andy Dominianni - weekday morning and noon
* Yolanda Harris - weeknights
* Kent Justice - weekends
* Terri Sullivan - weekday mornings and noon
* Gabe Spiegel - weeknights

;Weather
* Lisa Colbert - weekday mornings and noon
* Jerry Martz - chief meteorologist/weekday evenings
* Dana Turtle - weekends

;Sports
* Clay Hall - sports director/weeknights
* Anthony Rothman - weekends

;Reporters
* Tom Bosco (On Your Side)
* Susan Burton (Health and Science)
* Johnny DiLoretto (Entertainment)
* Maria Durant
* Mary Jedlicka
* Carol Luper
* Emily Riemer (State House)
* Shannon McCormick
* Dr. Marivi Soto
* Shawndrea Thomas
* Jake Whittenberg
* Alexis Wiley (On Your Side Investigations)

Notable alumni

* Bob Alan
* Anne Allred
* Mary Baer
* Terre Blair
* Kimberly Boles
* Mike Bowersock
* Chris Bradley
* Charlene Brown
* Tom Burris
* Demee Caporal
* Don Carson
* Liz Claman
* Kirstin Cole
* Mark Cooper
* Larry Cosgrove
* Carol Costello
* Deborah Countiss
* Wendi Craver
* Ray Crawford
* Michele DeSelms
* Dan Fabrizio (ND at WCBD-TV)
* Jim Finnerty
* Lou Forrest
* Michelle Gailiun
* Earl Green
* Jon Greiner
* Tom Griffith
* Donna Hanover
* Ted Hart
* Bob Hetherington
* I.J. Hudson
* Tanya Hutchins
* Mike Jackson
* Bud Kaatz
* Bruce Kirk
* Pat Lalama
* Dwight Lauderdale
* Tom Lawrence
* Tom Layson
* Karen Massie
* Dawn Meadows
* Alan Mitchelle
* Steve Minich
* Jim Miller
* Chad Myers
* Larry Nichols
* Megan Pringle
* Liz Ogletree
* Mike Rowe (1999-2008)
* Tom Ryan
* Larry Sales
* Mike Stevens
* Calvin Sneed
* Scott Taylor
* Tony Victor
* Lorene Wagner

References

External links

* [http://www.wsyx6.com/ WSYX Website]
* [http://www.earlytelevision.org/wtvn.html WTVN-TV History Page] "at the Early Television Foundation"
*TVQ|WSYX
*BIA|WSYX|TV|TV
* [http://www.columbusdispatch.com/features-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/04/11/20060411-D5-01.html] -Columbus Dispatch story about WSYX running fake news
*http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/bickel/73525.html FCC document about Channel 6 audio interference with educational stations in lower FM megahertz band